Wednesday, January 26, 2005

IMBB 11 Round-up - Part III

Without further ado…Part III!

Molly at Spicetart learned while doing a bit of research on her bean of choice that the Garbanzo is the most widely consumed legume in the world. Her response? “Right on world!” I couldn’t agree more, especially when those Garbanzos are served up in something as tasty as Molly’s Chickpea Tomato Stew with Moroccan Flavors. I’m a sucker for anything with chickpeas and spinach, but add tomatoes, raisins and some sweet and smoky spices and I’d say you’ve got a real winner!

Jeanette from Our Kitchen has brought two beany dishes to IMBB. The first is Sinigang na Pata, a sour soup with a tamarind soup base and featuring fresh ham hocks, green beans, and bok choy. The second is her Clay Pot Pork and Beans, a tempting mix of great northern beans, pork chops marinated in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, caramelized onions, tomatoes, aromatic vegetables, and herbs baked in Jeanette’s beautiful sand pot. Both dishes look and sound absolutely delicious!

Shana (aka owlfish) has found yet another use for that versatile sweet red bean paste. Her lovely individual bread puddings have a layer of chunky sweet red bean paste sandwiched between the bread layers. The “puddinglets”, as Shana calls them, are flavored with a little vanilla and cinnamon and once removed from the oven are topped with some confectioner’s sugar and nutmeg. If you’re not sold already, just take a look at the photo and see how gorgeously puffed and toasty brown they are. Shana, couldn’t you spare just one?

Over at Foodgoat…something tasty every day, Roselle’s Black Bean Mushroom Chili is a tasty mix of black beans, mushrooms, tomatillas (or tomatoes and lemon juice when a snowy day inspires you to dream up clever substitutions for missing ingredients), onions, tomato paste or puree, chipotle peppers, and an assortment of spices. It will warm you and fill you up with its hearty goodness – just the thing on a cold, snowy day!

I had not visited Christina’s blog, The Thorngrove Table, before…but now that I have, I will definitely be going back! She has a fascinating discussion on the history and lore of the fava bean as well as two 15th century recipes for favas. The first is Fresh Fava Beans with Herbs and the second is Puree of Dried Young Fava Beans with Onions, Apples and Sage. Both sound like they would perfectly satisfy the modern palate.

I knew Alice at My Adventures in the Breadbox was going to love the theme of beans, but even I didn’t imagine how much she’d love it! Alice has served up a three course black bean feast! First up is a moist and chewy Black Bean Chipotle Bread, then classic Huevos Rancheros, and finally Big, Bad, Black Bean Brownies. All three offerings look delicious!

Kelli at Culinary Epiphanies says, “Say yes to lentils!”, even if her boyfriend and Monty Python beg to differ! Her answer to them might be called Italian/Middle Eastern/Greek fusion cuisine – her very own Mujadara Frittata. Mujadara, as Kelli explains, is a mixture of lentils, rice and onion. This serves as the base of the frittata, over which the beaten eggs are poured, followed by a topping of Feta cheese. She calls it crazy fusion, I call it yummy!

Alan and Jenny at Sweet & Savory have made Mung Bean Mochi for this IMBB. I love the story of how they decided what to make – sounds like one they may be recounting for years to come. Anyway, their mochi are just gorgeous. This is the third incarnation of these sweet treats in IMBB 11 and with each I have become more convinced that I must track down the ingredients for these and give them a try.

Hana at Kitchen Crusader has prepared megadarra, which goes by many names including mujadara as Kelli referred to it. Hana’s simple and elegant recipe will nourish your body and soul. The lentils and brown rice are seasoned with garlic, bay, cumin, and coriander, and then topped with caramelized onions. Serve it with yoghurt and peppermint on the side and you’ve got a meal. If you’d like a little pork with your beans, do try Hana's Pork and Beans with pinto, navy, AND great northern beans! They are baked (or simmered if your pot can’t take the heat!) together with pork neck and a sauce of tomatoes, onions, herbs and lots of garlic. What a delicious meal!

When Valentina’s hunt for a suitable bean recipe came up short, she put ingredients she had on hand to good use and threw together her very own Purple Bean and Kale Soup. The purple comes from the red cabbage used in the vegetable stock, because when your choice is between red cabbage and pickled cabbage…well, what’s wrong with purple soup anyway? Actually, the finished soup, with great northern beans and kale, looks really great – stop by MeMoiJa and see for yourself!

Zarah from Food & Thoughts managed to break away from her Playstation (hey – her exam is over and she’s on vacation!) long enough to whip up (or should I say whiz up?) some Meatless Vegetarian Meatballs. Just throw some green beans, kidney beans, red bell pepper, garlic and smoked paprika in the food processor and you’re halfway there…Zarah pan fried them and served them with some yoghurt and lemon wedges. They look so good!

Alberto of Il Forno (and father of IMBB!) has prepared an Italian classic – pasta e fagiole. But Alberto’s version is a little different, due in part to necessity and in part to Alberto’s artistry. When he couldn’t find any of the bean varieties typically used for pasta e fagiole in fresh or dried form, Alberto decided to try black eyed beans (or peas). He then took inspiration from the little black and white beans, and decided to tint half of the pasta black with squid ink. The final touch is a crispy garnish of fried pasta. Alberto said he’d “taken care of his bean creative impulses” a little while ago, but his pasta e fagiole in bianco e nero con tria showcases yet more of Alberto’s creativity!

I really hope to wrap this up for good tomorrow night. Thank you all for being so patient with me. Also, I realized today that when I changed the title on the round-up, I changed the permalink as well. I know there are a couple of sites that have links to the IMBB round-up, so I’m posting parts III and IV separately and will modify the earlier post to include links to the later parts. Good night!

Hi Cathy! You are such a trooper for doing this! Not only are you being so thorough, visiting all blogs, reading each post and leaving comments, you also add such flowery description for each in your round up. You are the perfect host for such a popular IMBB topic; no one is getting buried, you manage to highlight each entry beautifully. Thanks again for hosting :-)

About Me

My name is Cathy and I live in a Maryland suburb of Washington DC in the USA. I love to cook, but have had a tendency to do it strictly by the book. I love to eat too, but have an unfortunately long list of dislikes. It's time for a change.